1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio system constructed by connecting a plurality of devices to an audio network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mixing system, which is constructed by connecting a plurality of mixing devices in parallel to one input device to which an audio signal is input, is known in the art. The gain of the audio signal input to the input device is adjusted through an adjustment part and the adjusted audio signal is provided in parallel to all mixing devices connected to the input device. One mixing device receives the amount by which the gain has been adjusted by the adjustment part of the input device and corrects the level of the audio signal provided from the input device based on the received amount of adjustment so as to cancel the amount of adjustment of gain in the input device. Accordingly, even when gain adjustment, which is not necessarily optimal for each individual mixing device, has been performed in the input device, the gain adjustment is automatically canceled in the individual mixing device.
A digital mixer having an automatic gain compensation function is also known in the art. The level of an analog signal input to an analog input port in this digital mixer is adjusted through an amplifier whose analog gain is variable and the analog signal is then converted into a digital signal through an A/D converter. The digital signal from the input port is input to an input channel through an input patch and the level of the digital signal is adjusted through an attenuator whose digital gain is variable and acoustic characteristics thereof are then adjusted through an equalizer, a compressor, a fader, or the like. Then, if the user changes the analog gain of the input port in the case where automatic gain adjustment is set to “on”, the digital gain of the attenuator in the input channel of the digital mixer is changed to cancel the change of the analog gain so that the gain is automatically compensated.
A network-type audio system is also known in the art. This network-type audio system is constructed of an audio network including a plurality of devices connected in a loop such that loop transmission is possible between the devices. Partial operations of the mixing system such as an input operation, a mixing operation, and an output operation are assigned respectively to the devices of the network-type audio system such that the devices constitute the single audio system as a whole. In the audio network, an audio signal can be transmitted in real time and a control signal can also be transmitted through the same cable.